This invention relates to a connector for making an optical and/or electrical connection underwater or in a wet or severe environment.
Optical fibres are frequently used for communication purposes, and it is often necessary to form an optical connection between the ends of such fibres. This generally involves bringing together two connector components each supporting a respective fibre and making end-to-end contact between the fibres. In the case of underwater connectors, it is known to provide the connector components with end sealing arrangements so that the optical fibre ends are protected from the outside environment when the components are in a disconnected state, the end sealing arrangements opening up during connection to allow passage of one of the optical fibre ends therethrough in order to establish the optical connection.
It is known from WO 02/39169 (the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference) to provide an underwater optical connector, in which a first connector part has a probe and a second connector part has a chamber containing optical quality oil and closed by a spring biased shuttle piston. The probe of the first connector part is also housed in a chamber containing optical quality oil, this chamber being provided in a forwardly spring biased shuttle. When the connector parts are mated, the shuttle is pushed rearwardly by the front of a plug of the second connector part, so that the probe emerges from the sealed environment of the shuttle and passes into the sealed environment of the second connector part. In doing so, the probe pushes back the shuttle piston of the second connector part. Once the probe is in the oil filled chamber of the second connector part, and with continued interengagement of the connector parts, a front nose portion of the probe advances forwardly but a sleeve of the probe is prevented from further advancement. This allows an optical member to emerge laterally from the probe and establish an optical connection with an optical member in the second connector part.
In this known system, the shuttle of the first connector part is slidably carried in a housing. When the connector is in the disconnected state, the shuttle is recessed in the housing, which has a shield portion projecting forwardly of the shuttle. The shield portion then serves to protect the shuttle from being accidentally moved rearwardly and compromising its sealed integrity against the outside environment. However, this arrangement also means that the forwardly projecting shield portion of the housing has to receive axially the plug of the second connector part before the plug front face engages the shuttle front face and advancement of the probe into the second connector part can begin. In the fully mated condition, by the time the shuttle and plug internal components have connected to establish an optical connection, the front edge of the shield portion is a considerable axial distance from the front of the plug. This “overlap” of the shield portion and the plug is comprised of the axial length of the shield portion into which the plug engages initially in order to make face-to-face contact with the shuttle, plus a further length as the plug fully engages the housing of the first connector part to establish the optical connection. However, in some circumstances, there is a constraint on the amount of overlap which can be accommodated.
Similar arrangements, in which a shuttle is recessed in a housing which projects forwardly of the shuttle, are known from WO 86/02173 and WO 99/31540.